Manager: “Cyborg should not be allowed to compete in the UFC, Germaine will not fight known and proven cheater”

Since winning the inaugural women’s featherweight title against Holly Holm back in February, Germaine de Randamie has been relatively silent and has chosen to stay out of the public eye. The UFC was hoping to book de Randamie vs. Cris Cyborg for the belt at UFC 214 in July, however, that fight fell through.

On Friday, de Randamie’s manager Brian Butler explained to MMA Fighting why de Randamie is not interested in fighting Cyborg.

“Germaine and her team have talked, and the position is that she will not fight Cyborg because Cyborg is a known and proven cheater. Even after so much scrutiny has been put on Cyborg, she still managed to pop for something and will always be a person of suspicion who is trying to beat the system rather than just conforming to the rules.

“For that reason, Germaine and her team don’t believe that Cyborg should be allowed to compete in the UFC at all. If that is the only fight the UFC wants, then Germaine is willing to wait and see if the UFC will strip her belt before making her next move.”

Cyborg, who is considered the best featherweight of all-time, was provisionally suspended by USADA this past December. However, after a two-month investigation, she was granted a retroactive therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for Spironolactone, a physician-prescribed diuretic. She did not receive any sanctions from USADA or the UFC.

She tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol in 2011, following her win over Hiroko Yamanka in Strikeforce, and was suspended for one year by the California State Athletic Commission. To date, that is the only time Cyborg has ever failed a drug test.

Cyborg was recently cited for misdemeanor battery by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after punching UFC strawweight Angela Magaña at the UFC Athlete Retreat last Sunday. Cyborg was reacting to several insulting tweets which Magana posted about her.

It’s still unclear at this time if De Randamie will ever fight again and whether she’ll still be a champion when she returns to action. The UFC, who’s aware of de Randamie stance, has refused to publicly comment on the situation.